, had been turned into a Lifetime TV original movie, I wanted to know more — lots more — about her book to movie experience and thought you would, too. She’s here today with a Q&A that gives you a behind-the-scenes look at the process. Sue is also the author of

If you’ve dreamed of seeing your book on the big screen, you’ll want to read this fascinating Q&A with Sue Williams Silverman.

From book to movie: One author’s success story

So many authors dream of having their book made into a movie, and you lived that dream when your memoir, Love Sick: One Woman’s Journey through Sexual Addiction, was made into a Lifetime TV movie, titled “Love Sick: Secrets of a Sex Addict.” How did this happen?

My literary agent, via her subsidiary agent in Hollywood, made initial overtures to some producers. Ironically, at the same time, an independent Hollywood producer happened to see Love Sick in the Beverly Hills public library.

This producer found my phone number on my website and called me directly. I put her in touch with the agents and the rest, as they say, is history.

How long was it between contract signing and the movie airing on TV?

It wasn’t too long between the contract signing and the movie airing on TV—under two years. However, there was a long delay—maybe five years or so—before I was actually offered a contract.

I first received an option from Lifetime, which is standard. But then Lifetime underwent personnel changes (new president, etc.), and the option ultimately expired. A few years later it was renewed, a contract was offered, and the movie finally went into production.

Let me add, however, that when I say it took around five years or so to get a contract, in terms of Hollywood, that’s lightning-speed! I’ve heard of options extending way past, say, 10 years. Too, most options, sadly, are dropped altogether in that most optioned books are never made into movies. So altogether I was very lucky.

Who wrote the screenplay—you, or someone else? If it was someone else, did you have the right to approve it?

Maria Nation wrote the screenplay, for which I’m grateful. I have no idea how to write one. I had no final say or right of approval. Once I sold the rights to Lifetime that was it. They own the movie rights.

But, more importantly, Maria was wonderful. She flew to my hometown and we spent three days together talking about the book and my life story. She deeply cared about it.

I’m enormously grateful to her for really listening to me and being such a terrific screenwriter!

Did the movie deviate from the book in a dramatic way, or was it generally true to your story?

While the movie deviates from the memoir, it does not deviate from my life. Let me explain: The book focuses on recovery—the 28 days I spent in rehab—with the pre-recovery scenes shown as flashbacks.

The movie, on the other hand, simply switches the emphasis to focus more on my life pre-recovery. Now I understand that for dramatic purposes, showing the protagonist “acting out” a sex addiction, is more compelling. Nevertheless, the recovery process is still an important part of the movie, so the narrative is complete.

In short, the movie is a compilation of the book as well as the other things I told Maria, the screenwriter, about my life when she interviewed me.

Were you happy with the final product?

Very! It seems many authors aren’t pleased with the movies made from their books, but I felt that the actors, the screenwriter, the director, the producer—everyone—did a phenomenal job. The movie absolutely captures my experience and conveys it in a serious and emotionally authentic way.

Who played you in the movie—and were you pleased with the selection?

Sally Pressman (who starred in Lifetime’s “Army Wives”) plays me. She’s perfect, a very gifted actor, having graduated from the Yale University School of Drama. Just watching her on screen it’s almost eerie in that I can “sense” myself. It’s almost like she’s channeling me—or my emotions.

She’s also a lovely person. We got to hang out together when I visited the set. She had a copy of Love Sick, and I loved how she’d marked it up with check marks and stars and underlines.

How would you describe your book-to-movie experience?

Outstanding! One of the highlights is that I flew to Vancouver, B.C., where the movie was filmed, to spend a few days visiting the set. That was incredibly moving, you know, watching my story being made into a movie.

Everyone on the set from the director on down was truly lovely to me. They all told me how important the movie was to them and how they wanted to get it right, so I’d feel good about it. Everyone affiliated with the movie had even read my book—not just the cast, but the crew, too. That was astonishing to me.

Also, periodically, the director asked me what kind of gesture I might make—or how would I have reacted during any given moment—to be sure he understood the emotion. At one point, he even asked whether I would have worn a particular belt! (The answer was “no,” so Sally removed the belt.) In that way, I felt part of the production, too.

I was also given a two-word cameo appearance, so I’m in the movie! That was a lot of fun.

It was very emotional watching this entire crew of people working so hard on my book, my life.

What would you like other authors to know about the process or opportunity?

If you have the opportunity, take it. It’s worth it. Sure, it’s a risk; maybe you won’t like the finished product. But I’d still advise taking the risk.

The other thing is that you’ll find a whole new audience for your book. It will definitely help book sales. And that’s something we all like, right?

Would you like to add anything else?

I wrote an essay about the experience of having Love Sick made into a movie. My third book is a collection of thematically linked essays, The Pat Boone Fan Club: My Life as a White Anglo-Saxon Jew, and one of the essays, “My Sorted Life,” describes this experience and what it means to “see” your own life through this other medium.

Oh, and a photograph of Sally Pressman, as me, appears on the cover of the paperback edition of Love Sick. I kind of like that the impersonation continues!

Does your book have movie deal potential?

To learn more about the process, listen to my interview with Ken Atchity, a world-renowned movie producer, about what it takes to go from book to screen.

Ken has produced many films you might know, including “Life or Something Like It” with Angelina Jolie, “Joe Somebody” with Tim Allen, “Hysteria” with Maggie Gyllenhaal, “Expatriate” with Aaron Eckhart, and “The Lost Valentine” with Betty White, among many others.

We talked about everything from how producers discover books that get made into movies to what makes a producer think “This would be a great movie!” when reading a book, and the author’s role (if any) in the process, among other topics.

Be sure to check out Ken’s training program, which includes a consultation with him and, if he loves your story, possible representation. Learn more about the “Real Fast Hollywood Deal” training at my affiliate link: https://realfasthollywooddeal.com/bookbuzz/

Do you have a question for Sue about her book-to-movie experience? Just ask it here in a comment. 

Collaborating with others on your memoir in 6 easy steps

By Beth N. Carvin

Writing a memoir is an exciting opportunity to dig into your memories and create something personal and lasting for your family and friends.

Getting started may feel overwhelming but it need not be, especially if you involve others to help remember with you. By reaching out to important people in your life and asking them to add memories, you can enrich your biography with stories from others that you might never have discovered otherwise.

Collaborating with others on your memoir not only makes your book better, it also makes the process more fun.

Imagine the same feeling you get from reminiscing around the dinner table with family—but the stories are saved and organized online or in a ready-to-print book. Here are six easy steps for writing your memoir collaboratively with others.

1. Throw away timelines and write memories of whatever strikes your fancy.

If you want to start with writing about your ancestors you can, but don’t feel constrained to writing about your life sequentially. You can always re-order your stories later. Some people like to start with the lighthearted—the camping trip where a bear sniffed your picnic basket, the Thanksgiving when Uncle Bob forgot to wear pants, or the greatest puppy in the whole wide world.

Write as much detail as you remember—including the senses. Did it smell a certain way? Do you remember the feel on your skin?

When you paint a clear picture you’re more likely to trigger additional memories from others and make it easier to remember together.

2. Add photos as inspiration.

If you have any photos or related images that match the topic about which you are writing, add them to the text. Your friend or family member might remember all sorts of additional details that were happening at the time of the photo which you know nothing about.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions—”Why were you holding a trophy?” “What was that goop in your hair?” “Who was that kid in the back of the photo?”

Who knows what new details you might uncover just by asking?

3. Who are your collaborators? Anyone who was there!

A memoir is a series of memories, and most memories include other people. When writing a memoir with help from others, you can select who you’d like to add to which memories.

If you’re writing about your school days, who were some of your friends at that time?

If you’re writing about family gatherings and traditions, what relatives might have some zany memories of their own?

If you’re writing about the first pet you ever had, which of your siblings or cousins would remember little Fifi?

For whatever story, event, person, or pet you’re remembering, brainstorm a list of a few people who might have fun anecdotes, fresh perspectives, or new details to add.

4. Request a memory.

Once you have your list of potential memory writers, reach out via email, social media, or an online memoir or writing platform that makes it easy to connect and share stories. Let them know you are writing an informal autobiography and would like their input.

Share one of the stories with a memory they will remember. Ask them specifically, “What do you remember about this story?”

5. Provide helpful prompts if needed.

If you’d like, you can use creative questions to help spur your family and friends’ memory.

For example, if you’ve written a memoir section about the family reunion you attended as a child, you might ask relatives: “Do you remember Uncle Edgar tripping into the punch bowl and spilling it all?” or “Do you know why Grandma danced so crazily that day when she had never done anything like that before?”

6. Have fun sharing details and going through the memories together—and remember to save your stories.

You’ll find that once you get the reminiscing ball rolling, it can be tough to stop. But why would you? Like so much in life, memories are far better when enjoyed together —and your memoir will be so much richer for having included forgotten memories from family and friends.

Make sure that as you’re building your collaborative memoir, you keep all of your favorite stories somewhere safe and secure so that you’ll never forget them again. And most of all, enjoy the memories.

If you’re writing a memoir, are you getting input from others? How are you requesting that help?

Meet the Frugalwoods: Achieving Financial Independence Through Simple Lliving by Elizabeth Willard Thames is the story of how one millennial couple ditched the materialism of urban life to “retire” to their dream farm in Vermont when Thames was 32. (“Retire” is in quotes for a reason — more on that in a moment.)

The book is no doubt selling well and enjoyed by most, considering it has 200 reader reviews with an average rating of four stars.

But dig a little deeper — and I did, thanks to a tip from a colleague I won’t name in case she doesn’t want to be outed — and you’ll discover that many people who couldn’t wait to love the book were sorely disappointed, and for good reason.

Our tale begins with how the book is represented on Amazon. Here’s the story.

Part 1: What the book’s about

Meet the Frugalwoods is a memoir. As the book’s description states, it’s “The deeply personal story of how award-winning personal finance blogger Elizabeth Willard Thames abandoned a successful career in the city and embraced frugality to create a more meaningful, purpose-driven life, and retire to a homestead in the Vermont woods at age thirty-two with her husband and daughter.”

It’s not a personal finance how-to book.

It’s the story of the author’s journey from here to there. You might learn a thing or two about how Thames managed her money while you take this journey with her, but it’s a memoir. If you read it with the expectation that you’ll learn her life’s story, you won’t be disappointed.

But if you’re a Frugalwoods fan expecting to be highlighting tips for how you, too, can “retire” at 32, you can put that highlighter away right now.

Part 2: How it’s categorized and positioned

The publisher specializes in business books; the book is categorized as “personal finance,” “budgeting & money management,” and “retirement planning.”

But it’s a memoir. Sure, there’s room for advice in a memoir, but it’s certainly not a classic business or financial planning book.

Some discovering this book while searching Amazon for personal finance top sellers who saw it has a ton of reviews and didn’t read the book description might buy it expecting to get all kinds of personal finance tips.

Part 3: The definition of “average”

The author described her household income as “average.” Yet, their move to the country involved selling the Cambridge, Mass., home they bought for $460,000. Many “average” income earners in Middle America can’t afford a home valued at nearly half a million dollars.

In addition, Amazon one-star reviewer “A B” reports that “According to public records, Nate made $225,000 in 2014 and $271,000 in 2016 working as a non-profit executive.” (Nonprofits are required to report this information.)

Reviewer A B had to search for the information online because it’s not in the book. That seems like a key point — something to share in a “personal finance” book. As a reader, before I’m impressed with what you’ve accomplished, I need to know your starting point.

Why is it missing? Probably because the author is trying to hide it.

A few other one-star reviewers singled out income as a key reason they were disillusioned after reading the book, too. Thames’s blog led them to believe her family is “just like us.” For many, though, they aren’t.

“Average” is relative, of course. You might argue that a nearly $300,000 income in Cambridge, home of Harvard University, is average. But the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the median annual income for millennials is $36,000.

A household income that exceeds $271,000 isn’t “average.”

Part 4: The definition of “retire”

A key selling point of this book is that the couple “retired” when the author was 32.

She “retired” only if you use the definition you have in mind when you say, “I don’t feel well, so I’m going to retire to my bed.”

They aren’t living off their savings for the rest of their lives. They’re working from home. Yes, they have more financial independence than many, but they aren’t “retired” from earning a living. They’re “retired” from their previous lifestyle.

Part 5: The key to success

The key to success, according to this book, is that to save a lot of money, you have to have a lot of money to save.

It reminds me of an old (OLD!) Steve Martin joke from his stand-up comedy routine, “You Can Be a Millionaire.” Steve says, “First, you get a million dollars.”

Turns out that an essential financial tip from the book is, “Start with a lot of money.” That might be hard for the “average” income-earner.

So what?

In spite of the grumbling among Amazon reader reviews and on other sites, the author will probably earn out her advance and receive royalties she and her husband can spend in their, um, “retirement.”

While the handful of one-star reviews are smart, thoughtful, and logical — these reviewers make an excellent case for their disappointment — they’re in the minority.

Clearly, many like what they read.

The moral of the story

Still, we can learn a few things from this little story.

I’d put the importance of honesty and transparency at the top of the list.

It’s hard for me to understand how Thames has achieved the status she has while carefully guarding her income information. I would need a specific before and after perspective before drinking the Frugalwoods-flavored Kool-Aid.

In addition, you’re doing something wrong if you’ve disappointed your biggest fans.

Blogger J.D. Ross of Get Rich Slowly makes it clear he’s an admirer, but he’s not blind enough to overlook a key detail about the book in a review on his site.

In an otherwise positive review, he writes, “The only real acknowledgement of the role income played in the process comes during the book’s introduction: ‘In order to save large amounts of money, you have to have a sufficient amount of money coming in,’ Liz writes. ‘You can’t frugalize income you don’t earn.’ That’s great, but it comes in the midst of a seven-page apology for “privilege” and not in the meat of the book. I think it’s a vitally important point, and the fact that the subject is wholly missing from Meet the Frugalwoods is a mystery to me.”

It’s not a mystery to me.

The author knows it would undermine her efforts to help others, so she hides it. While I’m sure she’s well-intended, it’s the blogger-turned-author-equivalent of an anger management guru caught flipping out at an airline employee over a flight delay.

Be true to yourself and your audience with your book, its packaging, and your marketing. In a world with so many citizen journalists ready to expose even the smallest indiscretion, you won’t get away with smoke and mirrors for long.

Have you ever felt misled about or by a book? Tell us about it in a comment. 

I clicked on the link, expecting to see a motivational nonfiction book because that’s his thing.

What I saw, though, was a business book title superimposed over an image of a man in a suit. Underneath the title were two words: “A Novel.”

Huh?

I’ll admit that I’m easily confused, but I think this might have confused you, too.

I read the description, hoping it would offer some clarity.

It didn’t.

The book description assured me that the book’s story was infused with thousands of hours of executive coaching and years of leadership experience. This didn’t reassure me that the book really was a novel. In fact, it sure sounded like a nonfiction business book.

I looked for a table of contents. Yup. There it was.

When’s the last time you saw a table of contents in a novel? (Maybe never?)

I closed the window. I was tired of trying to understand what was going on. The book is  probably a parable, not a novel. Because the author doesn’t know about parables, he is confusing people by applying the wrong label.

More confused readers

I’d like to say this was the first time I’ve asked, “Is this fiction or nonfiction?” after reading a book description, but honestly, it happens way more often than you might think.

An author in my network sent me a link to the sales page for his new book. It, too, had a business book title — complete with subtitle — and a cover image of a suited male. Absolutely no question it was a business book.

Then I read the description. It described a novel.

If I didn’t know the author, I would have closed the window. Again, it takes too much effort to figure out the book!

Instead, I scrolled down the page to see what else I might learn — maybe in the author’s bio? — about the book and saw text from the back cover. It was a list of bullet points that detailed what I would learn about business leadership from the book.

News flash: People don’t read novels to learn leadership strategies. They read novels to be entertained. They want stories that are so compelling and well-written that they have to keep turning the pages to find out what happens next.

Signs you’re confusing readers

How do you know if you’re confusing readers and therefore forcing them to move on without buying your book? Here are a few clues:

1. You categorize your book as a novel, but instead of describing a story readers won’t be able to put down, you tell them what the book will teach them.
2. You tell readers the book is a novel, but your marketing copy uses bullet points that tell them what they’ll learn from the book.
3. Your “novel’s” description uses “I,” “me,” and “my” — “My novel is about what I did and what happened to me. You won’t be able to put it down because it’s true.”
4. You’ve written a parable — a story that uses fiction to teach a moral or lesson — and you’re calling it nonfiction or a novel rather than what it is. It’s a parable. Call it a parable.
5. You’ve categorized your memoir as “fiction” because you’ve had to create imagined dialogue that you can’t support with documentation. It’s still a memoir.

The problems created by these and other mistakes go beyond confusing readers. When your book is incorrectly categorized, it won’t be discovered by the people you wrote it for. That doesn’t help you, it doesn’t help your book sales, and it doesn’t help potential readers.

Sure, your friends, family, and some in your network might buy your book because you asked them to. But will your book change the world in the way that you think it will?

No — because you haven’t packaged and positioned it in the accepted, understood way.

Follow the rules

Here’s the thing. Self-publishing might feel like the new frontier, but there are rules. If you don’t follow them, you end up confusing the very people you want to help. So learn and follow the rules.

That means that before writing your book and its description, you must read traditionally published books that are similar to yours. Then study how they are packaged, marketed, and categorized.

Don’t wing it. You can learn a lot from others, especially those who have succeeded.

And, to learn how to write a book description that convinces readers to buy your book, read this Build Book Buzz blog post, “Are you making these mistakes with your Amazon book description?”

Want to learn more about how to sell on Amazon the right way? Purchase our “Sell More Books on Amazon” video training program and learn what works (and what doesn’t) on the most popular marketplace for books.

Let’s flip this and discuss what you’re seeing that is working on Amazon. What’s your best “how to do it right” tip for selling books on Amazon? Please share it in a comment. 

At the time, she had just authored a regional travel guide to the Jersey shore. Today, she’s coming off the successful launch of her memoir, Running: A Love Story: 10 Years, 5 Marathons, and 1 Life-Changing Sport from Seal Press (March 2016 publication date).

I’ve been following Jen’s book marketing activities through her Facebook posts and have been impressed not only with her effort, but with the results, as well. She has done a masterful job of leveraging her skills, experience, and platform to create a book marketing success story.

I recently asked Jen several questions about how she marketed her memoir. I hope her experience inspires you!

The back story

[BBB] Please provide a brief description of your book and why you wrote it.

[JM] Running: A Love Story  is a memoir about how I became a runner, but also how I used running to get over some tumultuous periods in my life. I wrote it after a piece I wrote in the New York Times called “Running as Therapy” garnered a huge response. I’d been toying with the idea of trying to write a running memoir before then, but that really pushed me to make it happen.

[BBB] In what section is it shelved in a bookstore, and what are your Amazon book categories?

[JM] I had a male runner and a female non-runner read the book as I was writing it because I wanted this book to reach more than just female runners, which seemed the obvious focus of marketing energy (for good reason). My goal was to make this for anyone who wanted to read about someone overcoming challenges. That’s pretty wide, but it seems I’ve hit that mark. I’ve gotten a lot of emails from readers that start with “I’m not a runner, but . . . .” It’s been embraced by the running community, too, which is also great!

[BBB] What was your overall strategy for reaching this audience? 

[JM] In addition to the publicist reaching out to her and my contacts, I tried to write pieces where I’d be mentioned as the author of my book in the byline. Of course there was a focus on sports and running-related media, but we tried to go beyond that.

For events, I zeroed in on running stores, mostly because they all already had a group run at least once a week. I’d hook up with the group run and then do a reading after, sometimes with the store providing beer and pizza. This way, I was guaranteed an audience. Only once did no one buy a book (the running store forgot I was coming!). These events were open to non-runners too, and they showed up for the reading parts. This was fun, though tiring! I didn’t realize how much of an impact running at each event would add onto the already stressful and tiring experience that are book events.

Publisher support, author responsibilities

[BBB] What did your publisher’s publicity/marketing department do to support the book?

[JM] They had a contract publicist work on the book (a contract that is now over), but since this is my third book and I have a boatload of contacts in the media world, I really took the reigns and did most of the work myself. Already being known as someone who writes about running really helped.

When the New York Times excerpted it, for example, they asked me – no one pitched it to them. SELF magazine reached out to me too (though they didn’t know my book was coming out in the same month they wanted a running essay from me). I was also able to have the book added to my bio line for a lot of stories I wrote, including two features and an essay for espnW, which helped and was something only I could do. 

The only thing I wouldn’t do is write articles or blog posts for free in exchange for a book mention. I held fast on this one. I write for a living, and I wasn’t going to compromise on that. I told this to the publicist before the campaign started and reiterated it for the period of time she worked on the book.

[BBB] What did you have to do yourself?

[JM] IN addition to what’s outlined above, I arranged my own signings and events. My publisher gave me a budget to pay for book-related travel, though I went over that (in part because I just wanted to go more places) and paid a small part myself.

[BBB] When did you start marketing the book and what did you start with?

[JM] I started before I even finished the book. I made an announcement of the book’s sale on my blog, and then would sometimes post pictures of me working on it on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram during the writing process.

Then I made my list of potential media targets, which was merged with the publisher’s list.

My agent also came up with the idea for a pre-order giveaway: if you pre-ordered the book online or at a bookstore, and sent me proof, you were entered into a contest where you could win swag from my local running store and an encouraging letter from one Jen A. Miller (my publisher paid for this, though most of the cost was shipping). This was a great idea!

I also saw that Women’s Running magazine would let people of note take over their Instagram account for a day. Most of the people who did this were famous runners, but I figured it was worth a shot so I asked — and they agreed! I posted about my book launch on my book launch day — which they timed along with running an excerpt from my book. That worked really well, too. 

After the first two months, I shifted into reaction mode since press begets press. The Wall Street Journal and Outside were two publications that found me through other press, for example. Most journalists reached out to me directly, so I made sure to reply quickly with what they needed.

Book marketing results

[BBB] What have you accomplished in terms of exposure? 

[JM] I lost count! That’s a good thing, right? The mentions I’ve linked to already are the big ones. I’ve also been in Parade, Runner’s World, Well + Good, NJ Spotlight, and the book was named a best book of 2016 by the Philadelphia Inquirer. 

[JM] Using contacts I already had got the most press for the book. I know those things aren’t something everyone has, but that’s where I started out. Taking over Women’s Running‘s Instagram account was something I did on a lark but I think was incredibly successful. Also: I don’t see this book as having a time limit, so to speak. It’s not going to go stale, so I’ll keep on keeping on.

[BBB] What did you enjoy doing the most?

[JM] Radio or podcast interviews. I love talking. TV, not so much, though I did that, too. I was lucky that a friend who works in local media set up a few interviews for me in that realm.

[BBB] Based on this experience, what advice would you offer other authors?

[JM] No one is going to care about your book as much as you do — not your agent, your publisher, the publicist, no one. That’s not me being snide, but it’s true since this is the only book you’re working on, and their attention is needed elsewhere. If you want to make something happen, don’t wait for someone else to do it.

Also, be available. Reporters reached me through my website, Twitter, and Facebook, and I responded quickly.

Got a question about Jen’s book launch? Ask her here!